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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call!
- Thread starter phillm47
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Wow. Those clips remind me of how my German Warwick Corvette Std.5 sounded. I'm ordering one as soon as I get the cash.
Jarrett,
I too have been on the fence as to whether or not send back the SB5000 - and i keep coming back to the same thing. What other bass out there will match the quality, versatility and tone in this price range? I can't think of another bass that has the active passive set up with the passive tone control in this price range. My bass is slowly growing on me though. The only other bass i would consider for my style would be a lakland Skyline Joe osborn, but then again you lose the active option... I have one day left to decide... But i think it's a keeper.
True fact: A buddy of mine had a Sadowsky Metro 5 PJ that I played one weekend - nice bass. Two days later, I went to the Carvin store in SD and played two different SB5000's. They felt, played and sounded noticeably better than the Sadowsky - at least to me. And that's saying something.
If I can ever wrangle up the $$, I'm going to get me one!
Yeah, me too. I've not played anything that comes close to this bass in terms of bang for the buck. In fact I've played much more expensive basses that I've liked less. It's a great bass at a great price, it just comes down to whether I will use it on my gigs or not. Or will I always grab my trusty old Warwick.
I'm listening to these two clips trying make a decision if there is enough difference in tone that would make me want to have both:
This one is the SB5000:
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This is one is my old Warwick playing a similar riff:
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What do y'all think of those two tones?
Did you steal that drum beat from Motley Crue's "Too Young To Fall In Love"? LOL
I liked both of those tones, but I was partial to the Warwick.
I liked both of those tones, but I was partial to the Warwick.
Two very different sounds: The Carvin sounds just like a J bass, ala Marcus - - the WW sounds like a modern instrument... like an... er... Warwick or maybe a Smith.
I think it depends on what you like.
WOW man! I'm really glad you A/B'd the basses. I'm keeping my SB5000 for sure. I actually sold a really Nice old Ken Smith Burner to finance the SB5000. And these two clips illustrate exactly why i did it. The SB is fuller and rounder. More full bodied if you will - and yes, closer to that Marcus Vibe. The Warwick while not exactly like my old Ken smith is closer in character. Quite a bit more low-mid focused with a clicky top. Very modern great sounding basses. However, in my on stage pallet of sounds i like to be able to go from Jamerson to Miller, jaco to Rocco and beyond- all with one bass if possible- and the SB can get pretty dang close. I just couldn't coax those "fenderish" type sounds out of the Smith Burner. Great Bass, just not the right bass for me.
Jarrett, Thanks for being so thorough, considerate of us all and thoughtful on this matter. You're posts are really valuable.
The Warwick sounds good-more "in your face" with more midrange punch. I wonder if an SB5000 with the sweepable mid can get that tone (which is the way I would go on an SB5000). For a J-bass sound, it's a no brainer-SB5000.
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
Tell me if I'm wrong here but why do bass player's want a bass that sound like another bass, I'll buy a Honda but want it to drive like a BMW. Each bass has it own sound and if that the sound you're looking for buy that bass. I played and owned alot of basses and was glad not to have them sound the same. Just MO.
Why do people want a bass that sounds like a bass? Why not buy a tuba? Why be like everyone else?
Not an entirely unreasonable question... But rather moot. Fender made a thing that other have improved upon. Ford made a car, other folks improved up on them.
And ultimately, a car is a car, a bass is a bass. If the Carvin SB5000 sounds a great deal like a J bass... well, so be it.
Actually, were I to buy one, I'd be likely to buy one with a humbucking p'up in the bridge position for the very reason that if i'm going to buy a new bass, I want something a bit different...
But then I'll just be getting a Lakland variant - right?
There's nothing new under the sun.
I think I like both. This SB is growing on me like a weed. I find myself wanting to put down my Warwick to get back to playing it. Thinking it's a keeper at this point, but really need to gig it once to be sure.
No problem, thanks for the positive feedback. Glad this is helping others as well. That's what an online community should be about, imo.
That's a good looking bass, Jack. Hope you dig it.
Who said they were looking for similar sounding basses? I missed that part of the thread.
The SB5000 inspired me to lay down a new riff to hopefully use with one of the bands I play with. The guitar player from that band called it "phat" after hearing, so hence the name. Here it be:
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If you want a B40 or an SB4000, whip out your credit and get some satisfaction tonight! There are several very nice SB4000 in the Basses ready to order section on the Carvin website. The natural B40 is only $599 and only one SB4000 is over 1K!
There is also a nice fretless SB5000 for sale too.
Here is a SB4000 with a really different headstock:
There is also a nice fretless SB5000 for sale too.Here is a SB4000 with a really different headstock:
I never realized how narrow the bandwidth range is on the Warwick until I started recording the SB5000. Looking at the graphs of the recorded sounds are vastly different between the two. The Warwick just occupies this focused narrow space with no spikes, while the SB5000 is all over the place depending on how I'm playing it. Very dynamic.
About the mid knob option on the SB, I think that replaces both the active/passive and the passive tone control. I wouldn't want to give up the active/passive and now that I've actually played the bass, I know I really need the passive tone control. It really tames the maple board in a way that I couldn't do with treble control alone.
When I first pulled the bass out of the case, I was running the passive tone wide open and trying to control everything with the stacked bass/treble and not liking the results. I've since found if I leave the treble on noon, bring the bass past noon a little, then use the passive tone control around halfway on less, I get a really nice round tone. In essence, at this point I feel like I need the passive tone control to tame my maple boarded SB.
Yeah there are some SWEET SB's on the in stock page now. The white one Jack got was nice, the black 4000 looks cool and I really like that maple topped one. Getting my SB5, makes me think, hmm an SB4 might be nice too
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